Being named a team captain is one of the most important honors in professional sports, but perhaps in no other sport is being a captain more important than in the sport of hockey.
In the NHL, the team captain doesn’t change from game-to-game, but is rather so honored because of their long-time contributions to the team, which are marked by the large “C” that the captain has stitched to their jersey for each game.
This season has seen some turnover in the NHL in terms of captaincy, and there’s even a new franchise that just named its first-ever captain.
Here are the current NHL captains for the 2021-22 season, along with a bit of information about what they’ve achieved for their current franchises.
Anaheim Ducks- Ryan Getzlaf
Getzlaf has played his entire career with the Ducks, with 279 goals and 703 assists in 1,101 games.
Arizona Coyotes – Vacant
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Boston Bruins- Patrice Bergeron
Bergeron has appeared in 1,143 NHL games, all with the Bruins, scoring 375 goals and dishing out 542 assists.
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Buffalo Sabres – Vacant
Calgary Flames – Vacant
Carolina Hurricanes – Jordan Staal
After starting his career with the Penguins, Staal has spent the last 10 seasons with the Hurricanes. He scored 16 goals and dished out 22 assists in 53 games last season.
Chicago Blackhawks - Jonathan Toews
Toews was named captain of the Blackhawks at the age of 20, and has appeared in 943 career games with Chicago, scoring 345 goals and registering 470 assists. He has also played in 137 playoff games, with 45 goals, 74 assists and three Stanley Cups on his resume.
Colorado Avalanche- Gabriel Landeskog
The youngest captain in NHL history when he was given the honor, Landeskog has 218 goals and 294 assists in 687 games with the Avalanche.
Columbus Blue Jackets - Boone Jenner
Jenner will don the “C” for the first time this season. He has played in 530 games with the Blue Jackets, with 121 goals and 119 assists to his credit.
Dallas Stars- Jamie Benn
Benn has had a remarkable career in Dallas, with 311 goals and 412 assists in 866 career games with the Stars.
Detroit Red Wings- Dylan Larkin
A first round pick in 2014, Larkin has 116 goals and 173 assists in 433 games with the Red Wings.
Edmonton Oilers- Connor McDavid
One of the best players of his generation, McDavid has 195 goals and 379 assists in just 407 career games with the Oilers in six seasons.
Florida Panthers- Aleksander Barkov
Continuing a trend of captains who have spent their entire career with their teams, Barkov has 181 goals and 284 assists in 529 games.
Los Angeles King- Anze Kopitar
Kopitar is one of the league’s longest-tenured captains, with 346 goals and 654 assists in 1,129 career games with the Kings.
Minnesota Wild – Jared Spurgeon
Spurgeon has been with the Wild since 2010, and scored seven goals and registered 18 assists in 54 games last season.
Montreal Canadiens- Shea Weber
Weber has the distinction of being a captain with two different teams, and was a key component of last season’s Montreal squad that reached the Stanley Cup Final, with six goals and 13 assists to his credit in 48 games.
Nashville Predators- Roman Josi
Weber’s former teammate in Nashville has established a great career for himself, with 117 goals and 329 assists in 680 career games.
New Jersey Devils – Nico Hischier
The number one pick in the 2017 draft, Hischier has 57 goals and 89 assists in 230 games for the Devils.
New York Islanders – Anders Lee
In 520 career games, the captain has 184 goals and 136 assists in 520 games with the Islanders.
New York Rangers – Vacant
Ottawa Senators – Vacant
Philadelphia Flyers - Claude Giroux
Giroux is quickly approaching his 1,000th career game, all of which have been played with the Flyers. He has 273 goals and 585 assists in his NHL career.
Pittsburgh Penguins - Sidney Crosby
The surefire Hall of Famer has 486 goals and 839 assists in 1,039 career games with the Penguins. He also has three Stanley Cup championships on his resume, with 69 goals in 174 postseason games.
San Jose Sharks – Logan Couture
Couture has appeared in 768 games with the Sharks, with 273 goals and 304 assists in those contests.
Seattle Kraken - Mark Giordano
Giordano joined the Kraken after many successful seasons in Calgary, where he was the Flames’ captain. He has 143 goals and 366 assists in 949 NHL games, and is the first captain in Kraken history.
St. Louis Blues - Ryan O’Reilly
In three seasons with the Blues, O’Reilly has 64 goals and 128 assists, and helped the team win its first ever Stanley Cup in 2019.
Tampa Bay Lightning - Steven Stamkos
The former top overall pick has 439 goals and 427 assists in 841 career games, and has a pair of Stanley Cup championship rings in his trophy case.
Toronto Maple Leafs – John Tavares
Another former number one overall pick, Tavares has scored 92 goals and dished out 106 assists in three seasons with the Maple Leafs.
Vancouver Canucks – Bo Horvat
Horvat has appeared in 502 career games with the Canucks, with 139 goals and 175 assists in those contests.
Vegas Golden Knights - Mark Stone
The first captain in Golden Knights history, Stone has 47 goals and 88 assists in 138 games with the team.
Washington Capitals - Alex Ovechkin
Ovechkin has had an outstanding NHL career, with 739 goals in 1,197 career games. He also won the Stanley Cup with Washington in 2018.
Winnipeg Jets - Blake Wheeler
Wheeler is rapidly approaching his 1,000th career NHL game, having been with the Jets’ franchise since they were in Atlanta all the way back in 2011. He had 15 goals and 31 assists in 50 games last season.